Now and Then
by AlternativeRocker
Summary: 7 years have passed since Robbie and Jackie first stayed under the same roof now they are with their friends reminiscing about the changes that they've all had since.


**Note:** The other day was the 7th anniversary of me posting my first fic so it was necessary for a little bit of random nonsense from the lovely characters that caused all this.

* * *

"Did you really have a burst water pipe that time you showed up at my house for somewhere to stay?" Jackie asked as she passed him some paper napkins to put on the dining table.

"Of course!"

"Did it last the entire week that I was forced to put up with you?"

"Maybe a day or so earlier I could have gone back but you loved it really."

It had been seven years since they first shared a house, that time admittedly only lasted the week but it was cemented in both minds still. They were now fast approaching the third anniversary of them buying their home together. Neither could say it was any easier than back then as domestic arguments were just as stressful as Robbie waking her up in the middle of the night with his inability to sleep alone and seeking comfort in awful television.

"Nothing happened between you even living that closely?" Karen asked, not believing it could have been as innocent as they had made our over the years.

They always regarded their relationship as having taken too long to become something deep and real, but what they all forgot was that the latest pairing from their small group - Matt and Karen - had known one another far longer. The first anyone found out about that was when his RSVP to Robbie and Jackie's wedding had come back with the plus one part of the invite accepted. The engaged couple had immediately phoned Stuart and Ewan who, armed with takeaway food, had appeared at the house to discuss who the mystery add-on could be. They had obviously invited Karen to the reception afterwards but she was one of the last people they considered and quickly moved on from.

These days though it was difficult to think of any of the people without their other half. Robbie and Jackie were as predictable with their fights as they had been since first meeting; Stuart and Ewan were as loved up as ever; whilst Matt and Karen were much less showy with their relationship. He had retired eighteen months ago and although they practically went everywhere together there were a lot of people who didn't know he had sold his small flat and moved in to her place.

The six of them were sitting in Robbie and Jackie's open-plan dining room and kitchen with various bottles and glasses in the process of being emptied.

"We could control ourselves." Robbie commented, pointedly raising his eyebrow to the pair opposite.

"Yeah, we've seen the CCTV of that 'quick' kiss you had whilst undercover."

"Hey, that week I never even went out drinking and therefore didn't have it off with any women for an entire week, I should have got a medal! And after we got together you took us into the office, spouting that trash about having a relationship whilst working with each other. I really wish we had known about your own past."

"We had a one-night stand when we were still in uniform, it's hardly like we were in love all those years; you two however were unbelievable." Karen had begun going to these dinner or drinks catch-ups full of apprehension but now she was just as loud as the rest, "I joined the team late but Christ, I assumed you had slept together as soon as we met. Maybe if you had done the deed long ago it would have broken the bond between you."

Jackie laughed out loud, "Oh, because whichever bond you had thirty years ago broke so completely that you jumped straight into bed after the divorce."

Matt shook his head with a smile, "There was a time you would have stuck up for us Jackie, now you're actually helping him."

She placed a bowl of salad in the middle of the table before bringing over plates of spaghetti, "After so many years you simply have to give in or else you go crazy."

Stuart and Ewan grinned at their husband - they loved the evenings where the conversation wasn't regarding them in particular. As they had all moved on careerwise they had thought they might be left to arrange these meetings but each of the couples were determined to keep close.

"And I am so proud of her for it," Robbie said as he moved across the room for cutlery, kissing the top of her head before returning to the seat next to her, his arm across the back and his fingers stroking her shoulder.

Jackie sat back in her chair, still feeling like joking with the couple across from her as they started to eat, "Still no ring on your finger?"

"Not for us. We're more than happy carrying on the way we are," Karen replied as she wrapped a tendril of her red hair around a finger and squeezed lightly on her partner's thigh under the table. They had discussed it at length but could find no reason to change what they had.

Ewan decided that a change of topic was due as a comfortable pause extended between them, "Are you all coming to Mcintyre's next weekend?"

"You think we could escape the wrath of Jamie and Ronan if we missed the kid's first birthday?" Robbie grumbled, not seeing the point of a party for someone so young but as it was his grandchild there was no choice. They were fully aware that the younger ones would stay only as long as their little daughter stayed happy during the day and then it could turn into just another group night in the private room of the club.

"We'll be there but probably a bit late because we have a plumber over because of our dodgy sink." The rest of the table still found it adorable when their former boss and Superintendent Campbell used words like 'ours' as it softened them completely.

Burke swallowed the mouthful he had and rolled his eyes, "Late and out of pocket. I don't know why you won't let me fix it."

She looked around to him with a stony expression on his face, "I am not having this argument again, Matt."

"Neither am I. I was just making a comment." This was the extent of their fights though - unlike Robbie and Jackie who would scream at each other regardless of who was watching, these two would mutter remarks but never really raised their voice. Even at home they were much more sedate, probably because they had not spent all the years working together and the history was nowhere near as chequered as their friends'.

"I just don't want you hurting yourself or making anything worse than it already is." She knew how bored he got in his new empty day-to-day life but he was not skilled in the DIY department either. As the other four began to have other conversations Karen leaned to her side, and quickly pressed her lips to his cheek and whispered, "Love you."

"Yeah, yeah, you just don't like the idea of sleeping by yourself." He replied with a smirk, he was less open about his feelings especially if they were around others yet everyone knew he felt the same.

"Who would have believed we would be like this if someone had told us seven years ago?"

"Stuarty, we were all just waiting for you to find the right bloke, it was just a matter of time. Boss, I did think you would die alone-"

"Cheers Robbie, you always are so supportive."

"No worries. Meanwhile, I was just waiting for this one to realise how much she wanted me." His last statement was met with loud laughter from everyone else, who had watched him screw up the hope of the relationship time and time again.

Jackie looked at him in disbelief "Seriously darling husband of mine, why did some woman - including me - not find you so irritating that they killed you?"

"You know how I can make you forget all about that irritation," He grinned and winked, conveying exactly what they were going to do that evening once they had the house to themselves.


End file.
